colony

C3O1L1O1N1Y4
UK/ˈkɒl.ə.ni/British, Southern, Standard/ˈkɔlənɪj/US/ˈkɔl.ə.ni/US/ˈkɑ.lə.ni/

noun

A geographical area under the remote control of a country; especially to extract resources or exploit labor from that area.

“colonies of stem cells”

Similar
settlementdependencyBritish colony in the Americas
CommonScrabble 11

Meanings

colony1

nouncolony (plural colonies)

plural colonies

  1. A geographical area under the remote control of a country; especially to extract resources or exploit labor from that area.

    Spain still has colonies in North Africa.

    4 more examples

    Much of the eastern United States was formerly a British colony; other areas were French, Spanish, Dutch, or Swedish colonies.

    Bermuda is a crown colony of Great Britain.

    And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforeſaid, That in every Town in the Colony, where Bread is Baken for Sale, there ſhall be Choſen one Clerk of the Market, or more, as each Town ſhall find needful, at their Annual Election of Town Officers, who ſhall duly be Engaged, to the faithful performance of ſaid Office, as other Town Officers are ;[…]

    1719, “An ACT, Stating the due Aſſize of Bread”, in The Charter Granted by His Majeſty, King Charles the Second, to the Colony of Rhode-Iſland, and Providence-plantations in America, John Allen, page 59

    […] money problems and refusal to supply them with British coins were two big reasons why the thirteen colonies rebelled and declared their independence.

    1939, Frederic Majer, Our Country's Money
  2. A group of people who settle an area and maintain ties to their country of origin.

    a colony of British expats in Spain

    2 more examples

    The Amana Colonies in Iowa were settled by people from Germany.

    The question of ecclesiastical jurisdiction had to be answered before the colony sailed for East Florida.

    2006, Kenneth H. Beeson Jr., Fromajadas and Indigo: The Minorcan Colony in Florida, Arcadia Publishing, →ISBN
  3. A group of people with similar interests, occupations, or characteristics, living in a particular area; the area such people occupy.

    a nudist colony; the statue was put up right in the middle of the artist colony

    1 more example

    a leper colony on the outskirts of town; most buildings in the penal colony were made of concrete

  4. biologyA group of organisms of same or different species living together in close association.

    colonies of stem cells

    3 more examples

    ant colony; coral colony

    a colony of specialized polyps and medusoids

    In the small hours came the fetid smell of a flying-fox colony.

    1937, Ion L. Idriess, Over the Range, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, published 1947, page 64
  5. IndiaAn apartment complex or neighborhood.

    Our colony is quite small, but each apartment is large.

  6. A local group of Beaver Scouts.
  7. A potential new chapter of a fraternity or sorority awaiting official recognition from their headquarters.
    1 more example

    That weekend in 2013, fraternity members from Baruch, a commuter school in Manhattan whose Pi Delta Psi colony was only about three years old, gathered in a large rental house in Tunkhannock Township, Pa. Early on a frigid morning, Mr. Deng followed the other pledges in putting on a blindfold and backpack.

    2018 January 7, Rick Rojas, “A Partial Win for Prosecutors Who Targeted Fraternity After Student’s Death”, in New York Times
verbcolony (third-person singular simple present colonies, present participle colonying, simple past and past participle colonied)

present singular third person colonies · participle present colonying · participle past colonied · past colonied

  1. obsoleteraretransitiveTo colonize.

    Such black Attendants Colonied thy Cell, / But for thy Preſence, Car’sbrook had been Hell.

    1649, [John Cleveland], “A Deep Groan, Fetch’d at the Funerall of That Incomparable and Glorious Monarch, […]”, in Monumentum Regale or A Tombe, Erected for That Incomparable and Glorious Monarch, Charles the First, […], [London], page 36
    2 more examples

    The noble Island (which was colonied [translating habitavam] / Sometime by Tyrians) was not wanting here, / Who, on their Banners in thoſe days of yore / The famous Pillars of Alcides bore.

    1655, Luis de Camoens, translated by Richard Fanshaw, “Fourth Canto”, in The Lusiad, or, Portugals Historicall Poem: […], London: […] Humphrey Moseley, […], stanza 9, page 76

    The emperor meant rather to ſignify, by the altar and ſacrifice, that the old religion was aboliſhed in this province, which he had colonied with new inhabitants.

    [1792], Flavius Josephus, translated by George Henry Maynard, “Continuation of the History of the Jews, from the Time of Flavius Josephus. […]”, in The Whole Genuine and Complete Works of Flavius Josephus, […], London: […] C. Cooke, […], book I, chapter III (Rebellion of the Jews under Adrian, of Barchochebas and Akiba, […]), page 556, column 1

Colony2

proper noun
  1. A place in the United States:
    1. A former township in Greeley County, Kansas.
    2. A neighbourhood in south-west Lexington, Kentucky.
    3. An unincorporated community and inactive township in Knox County, Missouri.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government

Similar
Broader

nouna geographical area politically controlled by a distant country

Similar
Broader
geographical areageographic areageographical region

nounone of the 13 British colonies that formed the original states of the United States

Similar
British colony in the Americas
Broader
geographical areageographic areageographical region

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kʷelh₁-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kʷélh₁eti
  3. Proto-Italic*kʷelō
  4. Latincolō
  5. Latincolōnus
  6. Latincolōnia
  7. Middle Englishcolane
  8. Englishcolony

From Middle English colane, colonye, from Latin colōnia (“colony”), from colōnus (“farmer; colonist”), from colō (“till, cultivate, worship”), from earlier *quelō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- (“to move; to turn (around)”). Doublet of Cologne, Colonia, and Köln.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans kolonie, kolonie
  • koloniegroup of organisms
  • kolonieregion or governmental unit
Ancient Greek ἀποικία
  • ἀποικία (apoikía)region or governmental unit
Arabic مُسْتَعْمَرَة, مُسْتَعْمَرَة
  • مُسْتَعْمَرَة (mustaʕmara)group of organisms
  • مُسْتَعْمَرَة (mustaʕmara)region or governmental unit
  • مُسْتَمْلَكَة (mustamlaka)region or governmental unit
Bengali উপনিবেশ
  • উপনিবেশ (uponibeś)region or governmental unit
Brazilian Portuguese colônia, colônia
  • colôniagroup of organisms
  • colôniaregion or governmental unit
Bulgarian коло́ния, коло́ния
  • коло́ния (kolónija)group of organisms
  • коло́ния (kolónija)region or governmental unit
Catalan colònia, colònia
  • colòniagroup of organisms
  • colòniaregion or governmental unit
Chinese Cantonese 殖民地
  • 殖民地 (zik⁶ man⁴ dei⁶)region or governmental unit
Chinese Mandarin 集群, 菌落
  • 集群 (jíqún)group of organisms
  • 菌落 (jūnluò, jùnluò)group of organisms
  • 殖民地 (zhímíndì)region or governmental unit
Czech kolonie, kolonie
  • koloniegroup of organisms
  • kolonieregion or governmental unit
Danish koloni, koloni
  • kolonigroup of organisms
  • koloniregion or governmental unit
Dutch kolonie, kolonie
  • koloniegroup of organisms
  • kolonieregion or governmental unit
Esperanto kolonio, kolonio
  • koloniogroup of organisms
  • kolonioregion or governmental unit
Estonian koloonia, koloonia
  • kolooniagroup of organisms
  • kolooniaregion or governmental unit
European Portuguese colónia, colónia
  • colóniagroup of organisms
  • colóniaregion or governmental unit
Finnish yhdyskunta, yhteiskunta
  • yhdyskuntagroup of organisms
  • yhteiskuntagroup of organisms
  • siirtomaaregion or governmental unit
French colonie, colonie
  • coloniegroup of organisms
  • colonieregion or governmental unit
German Kolonie, Kolonie
  • Koloniegroup of organisms
  • Kolonieregion or governmental unit
Greek αποικία, αποικία
  • αποικία (apoikía)group of organisms
  • αποικία (apoikía)region or governmental unit
Hebrew מוֹשָׁבָה, מוֹשָׁבָה
  • מוֹשָׁבָה (moshavá)group of organisms
  • מוֹשָׁבָה (moshavá)region or governmental unit
  • קוֹלוֹנְיָה (kolóniya)region or governmental unit
Hindi कोलोनी, कॉलोनी
  • कोलोनी (kolonī)group of organisms
  • कॉलोनी (kŏlonī)region or governmental unit
  • उपनिवेश (upniveś)region or governmental unit
Hungarian kolónia, telep
  • kolóniagroup of organisms
  • telepgroup of organisms
  • gyarmatregion or governmental unit
Icelandic nýlenda, nýlenda
  • nýlendagroup of organisms
  • nýlendaregion or governmental unit
Indonesian koloni, koloni
  • kolonigroup of organisms
  • koloniregion or governmental unit
Irish coilíneacht
  • coilíneachtregion or governmental unit
Italian colonia, colonia
  • coloniagroup of organisms
  • coloniaregion or governmental unit
Japanese 群体, コロニー
  • 群体 (guntai)group of organisms
  • コロニー (koronī)group of organisms
  • コロニー (koronī)region or governmental unit
  • 植民地 (shokuminchi)region or governmental unit
Korean 군체, 콜로니
  • 군체 (gunche)group of organisms
  • 콜로니 (kolloni)group of organisms
  • 식민지 (singminji)region or governmental unit
Latin colōnia
  • colōniaregion or governmental unit
Latvian kolonija, kolonija
  • kolonijagroup of organisms
  • kolonijaregion or governmental unit
Lithuanian kolonija, kolonija
  • kolonijagroup of organisms
  • kolonijaregion or governmental unit
Malay jajahan, koloni
  • jajahanregion or governmental unit
  • koloniregion or governmental unit
Māori koroni
  • koroniregion or governmental unit
Norwegian Bokmål koloni, koloni
  • kolonigroup of organisms
  • koloniregion or governmental unit
Polish kolonia, kolonia
  • koloniagroup of organisms
  • koloniaregion or governmental unit
Romanian colonie
  • colonieregion or governmental unit
Russian коло́ния, коло́ния
  • коло́ния (kolónija)group of organisms
  • коло́ния (kolónija)region or governmental unit
  • поселе́ние (poselénije)region or governmental unit
Scottish Gaelic tuineachas
  • tuineachasregion or governmental unit
Slovak kolónia, kolónia
  • kolóniagroup of organisms
  • kolóniaregion or governmental unit
Spanish colonia, colonia
  • coloniagroup of organisms
  • coloniaregion or governmental unit
Swedish koloni, koloni
  • kolonigroup of organisms
  • koloniregion or governmental unit
Tagalog sakupbayan, kolonya
  • sakupbayanregion or governmental unit
  • kolonyaregion or governmental unit
Thai อาณานิคม, ประเทศราช
  • อาณานิคม (aa-naa-ní-kom)region or governmental unit
  • ประเทศราช (bprà-têet-sà-râat)region or governmental unit
  • เมืองขึ้น (mʉʉang-kʉ̂n)region or governmental unit
Turkish koloni, koloni
  • kolonigroup of organisms
  • koloniregion or governmental unit
  • sömürgeregion or governmental unit
  • müstemlekeregion or governmental unit
Ukrainian коло́нія, коло́нія
  • коло́нія (kolónija)group of organisms
  • коло́нія (kolónija)region or governmental unit
Urdu کالونی, نَوآبادی
  • کالونی (kālonī)group of organisms
  • نَوآبادی (nau'ābādī)region or governmental unit
  • کالونی (kālonī)region or governmental unit
  • مُسْتَعْمَرَہ (musta'mara)region or governmental unit
Vietnamese tập đoàn, thuộc địa
  • tập đoàngroup of organisms
  • thuộc địaregion or governmental unit
Welsh nythfa, cytref
  • nythfagroup of organisms
  • cytrefgroup of organisms
  • trefedigaethregion or governmental unit
  • gwladfaregion or governmental unit
Yiddish קאָלאָניע, ייִשובֿ
  • קאָלאָניע (kolonye)group of people who settle an area and maintain ties to their country of origin
  • ייִשובֿ (yishuv)group of people who settle an area and maintain ties to their country of origin
  • קאָלאָניע (kolonye)group of organisms
  • קאָלאָניע (kolonye)region or governmental unit
Cite this entry
APA

colony. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/colony

MLA

“colony.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/colony. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “colony,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/colony.

Source: colony on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.